Town Board Approves Tax Increase
By Dave Vieser — The Cornelius Town Board approved the town manager’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, which includes a 2-cent property tax increase effective July 1, by a 3-2 vote.
The increase marks the town’s first tax hike since fiscal year 2024, when the tax rate was raised by 1 cent.
The current town tax rate is 17.31 cents per $100 of assessed property value, amounting to about $865 annually for a home assessed at $500,000. A 2-cent increase raises town taxes by about $100 annually for a home of the same value.
Most of the tax increase would help address a widening pay gap for police officers, firefighters and telecommunicators compared with employees in nearby towns. It also would help service debt associated with a portion of the park bonds approved by voters in 2024.
By comparison, tax rates in neighboring towns are 22.75 cents in Huntersville and 26.6 cents in Davidson. Two years ago, Huntersville raised its property tax rate by 5.15 cents, from 17.6 cents to 22.75 cents.
3 Comments
Comments are closed.
As usual, behind every other municipality in the area. That can rolling on the road is getting very dented and should probably be crushed by now.
Cornelius was so proud of the fact that they did not raise taxes in 2025. What did that bring us?
Why do we need more $$ to service the debt? Wasn’t that figured into the budget at the time the bonds were issued?
I thought the Town had a surplus.
My wife and I were sitting in overly congested traffic recently, looking around at roads that clearly need widening and repairs, while also noticing all of the new construction — single-family homes, apartments, and townhomes — that have not even been fully occupied yet.
It makes you wonder: where exactly is all of our tax money going?
We are thankful for our outstanding police officers, firefighters, medics, and weekly garbage service. Those services matter, and the people providing them deserve support. But beyond that, what are taxpayers really receiving in return for these increases?
The bigger concern is what happens six months from now when many of these new homes, apartments, and townhomes are occupied. If traffic is this bad now, we can only imagine how much worse the congestion will become.
At some point, this feels less like a revenue problem and more like a planning and management problem. Growth is happening fast, but our infrastructure does not appear to be keeping up. Taxpayers deserve clear answers, better planning, and accountability from local government.
To the Editor:
Last night’s vote to raise taxes in Cornelius was more than a budget tweak. It was a clear statement about priorities, leadership, and what “conservative” local government really means.
For decades, Cornelius has managed growth with discipline and prioritization. Now, with roughly $38 million already sitting in capital reserves, the board still chose to reach back into taxpayers’ pockets. That is not necessity. That is a choice.
We keep hearing alarm bells: “the wolf is coming,” “a financial cliff is near.” But there is no wolf. There is only a fear of making hard choices.
A shortfall is only a “crisis” if you insist on doing everything at once. Any well run business or household phases projects and funds true needs first. Town government should do the same before asking citizens for more.
This vote may make some elected officials feel more comfortable—bigger cushion, larger “safety” net—but that comfort for them creates discomfort for us. Our tax bills rise so their sense of security rises. That is backwards. We did not elect them so they could sleep better at night; we elected them so that we could.
If the job has become too hard or too uncomfortable, they have an option we do not: they can step aside. As citizens, we cannot “quit” our town. The burden of discomfort must rest on those who govern, not those who are governed.
You cannot run as a fiscal conservative and then raise taxes while large reserves remain untouched. Either the principle means something, or it doesn’t.
Cornelius deserves leadership that uses what it has before reaching again into taxpayers’ wallets—and than invent a “wolf” where there is only the hard work of governing.
Sincerely,
joe v.